Maine jail officer charged with sexual assault
2/9/10 | 20 comments

Maine jail officer charged with sexual assault


By The Associated Press
CUMBERLAND COUNTY JAIL
Gerald Gilbert

PORTLAND, Maine — A corrections officer at Maine's largest county jail has been charged with gross sexual assault for allegedly having sex with a female inmate.

The Cumberland County Sheriff's Department said 41-year-old Gerald Gilbert Jr. of South Portland was released on $5,000 bail after being charged Tuesday.

Gilbert has worked at the Cumberland County Jail since 2007. He has been put on paid leave pending a hearing.

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Comments
20 comments on this item
On 2/9/10 at 4:38 PM, dkenzie77 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

interesting, wonder if she consented

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On 2/9/10 at 4:52 PM, dandlmom wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

paid leave? Fire the scumbag!

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On 2/9/10 at 4:55 PM, dkenzie77 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

i agree with you dandlmom. It reminds me of cops who do the law wrong and get on paid leave. Stupid stupid stupid.

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On 2/9/10 at 5:51 PM, futuremainer wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

he ruins it for all the good law abiding officers out there.

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On 2/9/10 at 6:06 PM, missmaine wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Wonder if she is telling the truth. Is there video of this as most jails now have cameras everywhere? I find it difficult to believe that someone at work could have sex with an inmate and not be on video. There is not enough information yet, but before everyone hangs him, there are two sides to every story. If he did do it, I feel sorry for his family, if he didn't do it I feel sorry for him.

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On 2/9/10 at 6:08 PM, HarryHSnyderIII wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

"Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Lord Acton

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On 2/9/10 at 6:39 PM, Centaurmyst wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

missmaine...not all parts of a jail have video cameras. If he was charged with sexual assault then either the prisoner did not consent, is unable to give consent or was intimidated, threatened or in some way made to feel like she had no choice in the matter. That is basically what the charges mean. People aren't typically charged if there isn't evidence to support the charges.

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On 2/9/10 at 6:41 PM, debutante wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

What was missing in this article that the Portland Press Herald included was even if it was so-called consensual, if a guard has sexual relations with an inmate it's considered sexual assault because of the power that the guard has over the inmate. A vital piece of information missing in this article.

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On 2/9/10 at 7:08 PM, Centaurmyst wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

It should also be pointed out that correctional officers ARE warned about engaging in this kind of behavior upon being hired. This man KNEW full well that what he was doing was taking a risk of being charged and convicted of sexual assault. Jails have protocol, procedure and policy that all staff sign off on adhering to when they take the job. If a person worked at a bank and took it upon themselves to steal some money they know what the risk they are taking entails. It's no different with this guy...regardless of the conditions and circumstances of what he did. He chose to take a risk, he got caught and now he is going to pay the price. If he didn't want this to happen to him then he should have kept it in his pants.

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On 2/9/10 at 8:16 PM, JWBooth wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Corruption and coverup - pick a badge number.

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On 2/9/10 at 8:56 PM, BvilleRN wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Until the allegations are proven, he is placed on paid leave. Why should the word of the inmate automatically trigger dismissal? Suppose the inmate simply did not like this man? People are so quick to assume that he is guilty, and even quicker to deny this man his right to due process.

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On 2/9/10 at 9:32 PM, chris21 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

The CO deserves to be presumed innocent until proven otherwise. Just like any one else accused of a crime.

By state and federal law, no incarcerated person can consent to sex, male or femaile. Prisoners cannot have sex with other prisoners even if they desire too, and CO's cannot engage ins exual activity with inmates, be it a female co and male prisoner or vice versa.

Does this article follow up on last weeks article about two COs at the Cumberland County Jail being sued by two female inmates for sexual misconduct?

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On 2/9/10 at 10:13 PM, Centaurmyst wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

If it's the same case associated with the lawsuit then there was a second correctional officer who knew about the misconduct but didn't report it. It's also highly unlikely that this case is based ONLY on the word of the inmate. Either there was a staff person who witnessed something going on or the inmate got pregnant or was raped. Empty claims wouldn't go anywhere, so there has to be some kind of evidence.

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On 2/9/10 at 10:18 PM, Knightscross wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Guards just as corrupt as the inmates. FIRE HIM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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On 2/10/10 at 12:06 AM, Centaurmyst wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

I checked some other news sources and this correction officer is somewhat connected to the recent case of another CO being arrested for smuggling drugs to a female inmate. There is a major investigation going on surrounding the drug smuggling and in the process they uncovered what was going on with Gilbert and this same inmate. This could be a case of the guards exploiting an inmates addiction to get sexual favors in exchange for drugs. And Knightcross is right...sometimes the correctional officers are just as bad as the inmates...and occasionally they are even worse.

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On 2/10/10 at 9:12 AM, mainerep wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

know he can sing the song behind bars "Ive got friends in low places"

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On 2/10/10 at 9:34 AM, WilliamDS wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Anyone having sex with anyone at work should be fired and this guy actually committed a crime because of his position.

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On 2/10/10 at 9:58 AM, HarryHSnyderIII wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

WilliamDS wrote:

"Anyone having sex with anyone at work should be fired and this guy actually committed a crime because of his position."

How about a recent Democratic President?

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On 2/10/10 at 10:30 AM, PabMainer wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Re: 9:58 HHS what ails you?? Don't you remember he "denied" having sex with that girl!! It probably was Bush's fault anyhow....

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On 2/10/10 at 10:41 AM, HRH419 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

10:30 AM, PabMainer: : )

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